The Presidential Hang Test

SEIU president Andy Stern is adding some new criteria to the list of what union members are looking for in a presidential candidate -- likeability:

Stern has devised a two-step screening process to get beyond questionnaires and polls and explore candidates' likeability.

First, he has assigned a young filmmaker, younger than 25, to follow each of the nine candidates around. The purpose is to catch unguarded moments on tape and capture "the soul" of each candidate.

The tapes will be shown to 1,500 of the union's most politically active members at a meeting in September.

At the September meeting, each candidate also will be asked to meet for an hour with 30 to 50 union members for a casual, private session. Rather than screening the candidates on issues, the union members will subject them to what Stern called "the hang test can they hang out with real voters."

Based on regular checks with members, Stern said, the top three choices so far are Dean, Gephardt and Kerry. All three meet the threshold for proposing a detailed plan to expand health care with a way to pay for it, he said, and all three are competitive in fund raising and polls.

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